My Dream Is Yours
by Flying Saucers
Summary: When an odd epidemic switches around the agents' dreams, Otis and Olympia must put everything right again.
1. Chapter 1

"Guys!" Ohlm shook Otis and Olympia. "GUYS! Wake up!"

"Whuh... Whut... What?" Olympia blinked and yawned. "Ohlm?" She bolted upright. "OMIGOSH, I FELL ASLEEP!" She looked around frantically. "Did I miss her? Is it over? Am I fired? What..."

Otis snorted awake. "Uhm... Uh. Sorry. Must've dozed off for a second."

The two partners shifted position on the park bench where they'd fallen asleep.

"The villain you're supposed to meet isn't here yet!" Ohlm explained. "But she's due any second! Ms. O sent me to check on you! And you were both SLEEPING?"

Removing her glasses, Olympia rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry. Just haven't been getting enough rest, I guess." She slid her glasses back on and shook her head to clear out the cobwebs in her thoughts. "I've been having the _weirdest_ dreams..."

Otis' head snapped around to look at her. "WHAT?" He coughed. "What... kind of dreams?"

"Nightmares?" Ohlm shuddered.

"Not exactly," She dabbed at a bit of drool on her shoulder. She wasn't sure if it was her own or her partner's. "Just... strange dreams. All last night, I kept dreaming about toast."

Ohlm wrinkled his nose. " _Toast?_ "

Otis shrugged. "I often dream about toast."

Olympia stared at him. "You _dream_ about _toast?"_

"I like toast. It's like bread, only crunchier."

Doctor O sprung up from behind the bench. "Did you say you've been having odd dreams?"

Otis and Olympia started. Ohlm yelped and jumped back about a foot.

"How do you DO that?"

"I'm a doctor. I go where I'm needed." Doctor O turned to Otis and Olympia. "Now, what's this about Olympia having odd dreams?"

"Uh, yes," Otis responded. "We both have, actually."

"Otis!" Olympia exclaimed. "You've been having weird dreams too? What about?"

Otis' face reddened. "I... don't want to talk about it."

"But how can we..."

"I said _I don't want to talk about it."_

"Okay, okay..." Olympia held up her hands.

"Hhm." Doctor O leaned down and looked closely at each of them. "Can you tell me who Edna May Oliver is?"

"Sure," Olympia responded. "She played Betsy Trotwood in MGM's 1935 film version of **David Copperfield."** She covered her mouth in shock. "How... How did I know that?"

"It's one of the symptoms," Doctor O replied briskly. "You and your partner are clearly suffering from Dream Transferitis. It's an odd illness that often appears in office environments and other places where people work closely together."

Otis nodded. "So I'm having her dreams and she's having mine?"

"Not exactly. It's never a straight trade. She may be having your dreams but you're not having hers."

Otis raised an eyebrow. "Then... Whose dreams am I having?"

Olympia looked over. "And who's having _my_ dreams?"

"Probably someone back at headquarters," Doctor O took out a notepad. "We'll have to go back and find out who else is having the wrong dreams."

Grimacing, Otis got up from the bench. "Why is it never simple?"

"Hold on, hold on!" Olympia interrupted. "How do we get his dream out of my head and back into his?"

"You just touch foreheads," Doctor O told them.

Otis and Olympia looked at one another. Awkwardly, they bent forward, each one shifting around until their foreheads met. There was a bright "DING!' sound.

"We had a similar outbreak last year," Doctor O went on. "I had Oscar's dreams for a week." She shuddered. "I'll never be able to watch 'The Gamesters of Triskelion' again."

Olympia's eyes went wide. "You had this LAST YEAR?"

Doctor O nodded.

"Were Olive and Otto in it?"

Doctor O nodded. "And Ms. O as well. Fortunately, that means we're all immune now."

Olympia looked around. "WHY DIDN'T I KNOW ABOUT THIS?"

"We couldn't figure out a way to work math into it. This year, however," Doctor O reached into her pocket and produced a gadget. "I've developed this handy chart to organize the data."

She fired the gadget, projecting an image of a small chart. One column listed, OTIS, OLYMPIA, OWEN, OCEAN. Another next to it listed, OTIS.

"The first column is all the agents who have reported dream problems. The second includes all the agents whose dreams have been located." She clicked another button, changing it so Otis' name was next to Olympia's. "That means Olympia had Otis' dreams. The other agents' dreams haven't been found yet, nor do we know whose dreams they're having instead."

Olympia studied the list. "Owen and Ocean also have Dream Transferitis! Maybe Otis has one of their dreams."

Otis shook his head. "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII... don't think so..."

"Well, we'll never know until we check!" She grabbed Otis' arm, then dropped it. "Oh, wait! We need to meet that villain first!"

"It's okay, guys!" Ohlm waved them away. "I got this."

Olympia winced. "Why am I not reassured?" She followed Otis and Doctor O to the jump-tubes. "We'll be back as soon as we can!"

Ohlm nodded and watched them leave. He then took their place on the bench and pulled an apple out of his pocket to snack on.

#

He was about nine bites in when there was an explosion of multi-colored fog in front of him. Maniacal laughter echoed through the park.

"YAHHAHAHAHEEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A purple-haired woman in a bizarre, shimmering costume stepped through the fog, adjusting her gimmicked gloves.

"YES, Odd Squad! It is I! The purloining princess of preserves, the criminal queen of condiments, the malevolent mistress of marmalade, the sinister siren of breakfast spreads, JAMIE JAM!"

"Yeah, hi." Ohlm took another bite of the apple, then started fishing around his pockets for his notepad and pen. "Where'd you get the smoke bombs?"

"Todd's garage sale." Jamie Jam adjusted her cape. "I also got the fishphone and a copy of _How To Work With Difficult People._ Anyway, down to business..." She struck a pose. "THAT'S RIGHT, Odd Squad! I, Jamie Jam, have a nefarious plan that's... _jam-packed..._ " She paused to emphasize her play on words. "With odd evil! I am plotting to jam up a local site and I DEFY you, Odd Squad, to stop me!"

"Uh-huh," Ohlm scribbled on his notepad. "Could you slow down a little, please? And how do you spell 'nefarious'?"

"Never mind!" She snapped. "As is my wont, my trademark, my modus operandi, my... gimmick, if you will... I shall provide you with a clue to my proposed target! And I CHALLENGE you, Odd Squad, to decipher it!"

"Uhm-hmm..." Ohlm nodded, still writing. He looked up. "Are you sure jam's a condiment?"

"It DOESN'T MATTER!" She composed herself, then resumed her rant. "My clue is cleverly concealed in this knock-knock joke!" She sneered. "Knock knock!"

There was a very long pause.

"KNOCK KNOCK," she repeated.

Another long pause. Then, finally Ohlm looked up again from his notepad. "So, is this another 'knock knock' or are you repeating the first one?"

Jamie Jam growled. "It's a _knock knock joke_! Don't you know what a knock knock joke is?"

Ohlm looked around. "Sure I know what a knock knock joke is!"

"GREAT!" Jamie shouted. "KNOCK KNOCK!"

Ohlm considered a moment. "So far, it's not that funny..."

#


	2. Chapter 2

"Look," Jamie Jam explained patiently, "It's very simple. When I say 'Knock, Knock', you're supposed to say 'Who's there?'. 'Who's there.' That's it. That's all there is to it. Just say 'Who's there.'"

"But why would I say 'who's there'?" Ohlm asked again. "You're right there! I know who you are! You're that villain who sprays jelly all over everything!"

"JAM! I SPRAY JAM! NOT JELLY!" She took a deep breath. "It's all right, it doesn't matter..."

"I can see you! I _know_ who's there!"

Jamie Jam sighed. "Look..."

"And even if I didn't know who you were, you already did that big introduction thing _telling_ me who you are!"

He took another bite of his apple while Jamie Jam ground her teeth.

"So why would I say 'Who's there?'"

Jamie pressed her hand against her temples.

"And I still don't think jam's a condiment. Are you sure about that?"

#

Otis, Olympia, and Doctor O stepped out of the tubes into Odd Squad Headquarters. O'Malley yawned a greeting. Ocean, sitting nearby, looked up.

"Yeah. Hey, man."

"Ocean!" Olympia hurried over. "Why aren't you in the Creature Room?"

Ocean shook his head. "Can't, dude. These dreams have been making me jittery. And when I'm nervous, my creatures get nervous. And you do NOT want to be around some of these guys when they get nervous!"

"It's all right, Ocean," Doctor O grabbed his shoulder. "Otis and Olympia also have sleep-transferitis. Perhaps one of them has your dream."

"Well, I don't," Olympia clarified. "I had Otis' dream. But maybe you have my dream!"

Owen stormed through the doors. "And I don't know WHOSE dream I have!"

Otis' eyes narrowed. "Well, we'll help you sort everything out. What's the dream?"

"It's so crazy!" Owen waved his arms in frustration. "I'm in a gondola in Venice being serenaded by Danny T from Soundcheck!" He snorted angrily while the others stared in shock. "What does that even MEAN?"

They all exchanged looks. "You... don't get out much, do you?"

Changing the subject as quickly as possible, Otis turned to Ocean. "And your dream?"

"Ah, man! It's awful! I'm on a racetrack and I'm driving this car around! Around and around and it's going so fast it's all I can do to keep it on the road!" He rubbed his eyes. "Man, I wake up and I need a nap, I'm so tense!"

The two partners nodded. Doctor O projected her chart once again.

 **Otis**

 **Olympia-Otis**

 **Owen**

 **Ocean**

"This is how it stands now." She flicked off the device. "Do either of you have any leads?"

They all thought a moment.

"I often see O'Malley playing with his toy cars in the breakroom," Otis said. "O'Malley, have you been...?"

They all turned to find the little tube operator had quietly fallen asleep on his control panel.

"Well, that answers that."

On Doctor O's orders, Ocean went over and pressed his temples against the sleeping boy's. There was a 'Ding" and the partners grinned at one another.

"One down!" Olympia cheered.

"True," Doctor O replied. "But we've added another person to the epidemic. Observe..."

She projected the modified chart.

 **Otis**

 **Olympia-Otis**

 **Owen**

 **Ocean-O'Malley**

 **O'Malley**

Olympia sighed. "So now we have to figure out whose dreams O'Malley is having!"

O'Malley bolted upright, screaming. "YAAAAH! CREATURE ROOM!"

They looked at one another. "Solved it."

 **Otis**

 **Olympia-Otis**

 **Owen**

 **Ocean-O'Malley**

 **O'Malley-Owen**

Once Owen had retrieved his dream, he turned to the others. "So, any idea whose dreams I'm having?"

Olympia considered. "I've got a good idea who it might be." She grabbed his hand. "Everyone, come with me!"

#

"Okay..." Jamie Jam forced herself to stay calm. "Imagine there's a door here. I'm knocking on the door. Knock, knock." She pantomimed knocking. "Now," she turned to Ohlm. "What do you say?"

Ohlm yelled over his shoulder, "MOM! THERE'S SOMEONE AT THE DOOR!"

Jamie buried her head in her hands.

#

Oona was puttering around the lab, collecting gadgets in her arms and mumbling to herself.

"Socksortinator's gotta be recharged, new kumquats for the pirouettenator, wildebeestinator's acting up, who brought in the go-goinator, who brought in the go-goinator..."

Olympia ran over with the rest of her group. "Oona!"

Oona shrieked and gadgets went flying everywhere. Fortunately, they'd half-expected that reaction and they managed to catch most of the devices. One, however, Oona fumbled. It landed on the ground, bounced, and discharged.

"Oboy. Um... Sorry, Agent O'Duffy. Look, it'll wear off in a couple hours, okay?"

Oona winced at the barely audible, angry peeping in response. She watched sadly as the tiny agent struggled to climb down to the main floor. He managed it eventually, shouted some more inaudible peeping, and stormed off.

"So, uh..." Oona swung her arms. "What's buzzin', cousin?" She winced. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing to say..."

"Oona!" Agent Otis stopped her before she could go off on a tangent. "Oona, have you been having any strange dreams lately?"

"Have I had strange dreams lately? HAVE I HAD STRANGE DREAMS LATELY?" She laughed wildly, then stopped and looked around. "I'm sorry. I'm a bit on edge. I've been having these really strange dreams lately..."

"No kidding..."

Owen stepped forward. "Okay, so it's her dream with Danny T and the gondola and everything?"

Oona blushed. "Well, I... Maybe. That is, I, um..."

Owen pressed his forehead against hers. They heard the familiar 'Ding.'

"Okay," Owen sighed. "I got my dream back, she's got her dream back, GOING ON BREAK NOW!" He wandered off.

Doctor O projected the chart again.

 **Otis**

 **Olympia-Otis**

 **Owen-Oona**

 **Ocean-O'Malley**

 **O'Malley-Owen**

 **Oona**

"Another agent cured but another victim of the epidemic found..."

Otis smiled at Olympia. "Good work, partner. How'd you know it was her?"

Olympia shrugged. "Oona... kinda has a major thing for Danny T."

"IT'S NOT MAJOR! IT'S NOT A MAJOR THING!" Oona jammed her hands in her pockets, her face beet red. "Okay, I admit it, he's really cute..." She glared around the room. "LOOK, IT'S JUST A SIMPLE PRE-ADOLESCENT CRUSH, OKAY?"

"Okay, okay..." Otis stepped back.

"Yeah," Olympia grinned. "I don't get it. I've always liked Tony D..."

"Tony D?" Oona gasped in shock. "Him? Oh man, he's nowhere NEAR as cute as Danny T..."

"Yeah, but Shmumber Beat had this big article about him and it said he's SUPER into puppies and I love puppies and it said he's also a big fan of pandas..."

"Well, I saw on Shumber-Nation Danny T is majorly into science and..."

"CAN WE GET BACK TO THE CASE, PLEASE?" Otis turned to Oona. "Oona, what odd dreams have you been having?"

"Oh yeah," Oona instantly deflated. "Oh yeah. Odd dreams."

"Yes," Otis continued as patiently as he could manage. "What kind of odd dreams?"

"It's AWFUL! AWFUL!" She paced furiously. "I'm on a desert island and there's soft music playing and I've got a smoothie and a lawn chair!"

Olympia blinked. "That... doesn't sound so bad..."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I'M ON A DESERT ISLAND! And I don't have any gadgets to work on and I don't have my badge phone to check and see if there are any gadgets that need worked on and I don't know who's running the lab while I'm away and I can't contact anyone to find out what's going on and I..." She stopped, panting furiously. "THINGS MIGHT BE FALLING APART AND I'M NOT THERE TO SUPERVISE!" She took a deep breath. "Things always fall apart a lot better if I'm there in charge."

Ocean shook his head. "Girl, you need to chill. I'd love to have a dream like that. In fact, I usually do have dreams like that. In fact," Realization dawned in his eyes. "That's my dream! Man, we found it! We found my dream!"

"You have?" Oona bent forward, extending her forehead. "WELL, TAKE IT BACK! HURRY!"

"Okay! Okay, girl! Geez..." He leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers to trigger the now-familiar 'Ding' sound.

"Great! Now I better get to my creatures!" Ocean departed. "They're probably getting hungry about now..."

Doctor O took charge again. "Well done, agents." She projected the chart.

 **Otis**

 **Olympia-Otis**

 **Owen-Oona**

 **Ocean-O'Malley**

 **O'Malley-Owen**

 **Oona-Ocean**

"As you can see, you've found almost all the dreams and restored them to their proper owners."

"Yeah," Olympia sighed, "All except our own..."

#


	3. Chapter 3

Jamie Jam tried to keep her voice level.

"Fine. But let's say your mother isn't home. And someone knocks on the door." She pantomimed knocking. "Knock, knock." She turned to Ohlm. "What do you say?"

Ohlm shrugged. "I don't say anything." He took another bite of his apple. "I'm not supposed to answer the door when Mom isn't home in case it's a homicidal maniac."

"Yeah, you probably get a lot of those," Jamie said under her breath. Then she steeled herself. "It's _not_ a homicidal maniac, darling," she said through clenched teeth. "It's your old friend Jamie Jam. So you say, 'Who's there.'"

Ohlm nodded. "If I know it's you, why would I say, 'Who's there?'"

Jamie Jam sobbed. Ohlm took another bite of his apple.

#

Olympia and Otis, meanwhile, had split up and were inquiring around Odd Squad headquarters...

#

"Odell! Have you had any odd dreams recently?"

Odell shook her head.

#

"Coach O! Have you had any odd dreams lately?"

"I only have one dream and that's winning the pennant!"

#

"Oskana! Have you had any odd dreams?"

"I work in food service. I have no dreams."

#

"Obfusco! Have you had any odd or unusual dreams recently?"

"Let no esophagus call me Fresca! Yet never has a Christmas tree ornament been so delicious!"

"So... That would be a 'No,' right?"

"Right."

#

"O'Duffy! Have you had any odd dreams lately?"

Inaudible peeping.

"Could you just nod or shake your head?"

#

"O'Painty! Have you had any odd dreams lately?"

"Arr! I be just a painting of a head!"

"Sorry. Wrong show..."

#

"Octavia!"

Octavia shrieked.

"Sorry. Have you had any odd dreams lately?"

"Um... No. Is that wrong? Was I supposed to? I'll do better, I promise..."

"No, no, no," Olympia tried to calm her down. "It's all right. We're just fighting a dream-transferitis epidemic."

"Oh," Octavia smiled. "I had that last year. I'm fine now. The tic's gone and everything."

"YOU CAN GET A TIC FROM DREAM-TRANSFERITIS?"

"You can if you switch dreams with Doctor O." She grimaced. "It was three months before I could eat spaghetti again."

"Spaghetti? Why... Ohhhhh..." Olympia fought a bit of nausea.

"And I looked it up and that's not what a gall bladder looks like at all. You'd think she'd know that..."

"Yeah." She turned to the apparently empty chair at the next desk. "Have _you_ had any odd dreams?"

Very long pause.

Finally, Octavia said, "Uh, that's a chair."

"Oh." Olympia coughed. "Well, um, just trying to be thorough. 'Bye!"

She ran off.

"Why didn't she ask me?" said a voice from behind Octavia's shoulder. "I haven't had any dreams, but if she wants to be thorough..."

"I don't know," Octavia flipped through her paperwork. "They're new here, I guess..."

#

"All right," Jamie Jam set a card table with a number of plastic dolls and a diorama of a small house down in front of Ohlm. "All right. You're going to get this. This has to work." She took a deep breath. "Now... These people..." She indicated the dolls arranged on one side of the door. "Are at home. And this person..." She held up another doll. "WHO IS NOT ME BUT WHOM I WILL BE VOICING FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS DEMONSTRATION, is at the other side of the door. This person has come to visit. But they don't know she's coming. So she knocks on the door..." She moved the doll as if it were knocking on the door. "Knock, knock. These people don't know who it is knocking. They need to find out. So what do they say to the person on the other side of the door?"

Ohlm peered at the plastic dollhouse door. "Can't they just look through that little peephole?"

He took another bite of his apple.

"Um, ma'am? You're gonna hurt your head if you keep doing that..."

He chewed and swallowed.

"Probably not doing the table much good either..."

#

Olympia and Otis rendezvoused in the hall of doors.

"I don't understand it!" Olympia compared hers and Otis' lists. "We must've asked every agent here and nobody else has dream-transferitis!"

"We have to keep trying," Otis answered. "There has to be some..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH!"

The partners jumped. Then they looked at each other. "It came from the pillow room!"

They ran across the corner just in time to see Agent Oren emerge from the pillow room, straightening his glasses. He quickly replaced the panicked look on his face with his usual supercilious smugness.

"Oren!"

"I..." Oren smoothed his rumpled jacket. "What, um, what do you two rookies want?"

"You were napping in the pillow room!"

Oren's mouth quivered. "You can't prove that."

"You were napping in the pillow room and you had an odd dream!"

"I... I... I..." He crumbled, grapping Otis' lapels. "Oh, it was horrible! Horrible!" He continued in a hoarse whisper, his eyes shining. "I was at my desk and I was doing paperwork... And it _wouldn't END!_ " He swallowed. "Every time I'd reach the bottom of the pile, more forms would drop out of the sky into my 'In' Basket! And I'd do those too and then MORE papers would appear, and MORE papers, and MORE and MORE and MORE papers..." He choked back a sob. "There's only so much even a brilliant agent like myself can take!"

Olympia's mouth was hanging open in shock. "That's my dream!"

Oren looked at her. "What?"

"In fact, it's my _favorite_ dream!" She grinned, bouncing on her heels. "I love doing paperwork!"

Oren glared at her. "You're sick, you know that?"

"Never mind," Otis interrupted. "Olympia, go ahead."

She touched her forehead to Oren's and heard the 'DING!' of her dream going back into her head. Oren looked from one of them to the other.

"So, that's it, right?"

"Not quite," Otis replied. "Someone else has your dreams. We'll have to add you to the list."

Olympia pulled out the gadget and fired it. The list reappeared.

 **Otis**

 **Olympia-Otis**

 **Owen-Oona**

 **Ocean-O'Malley**

 **O'Malley-Owen**

 **Oona-Ocean**

 **Oren-Olympia**

 **Oren**

"The only people left who aren't paired are you and Oren," Olympia observed. "Is it possible you have his dreams?"

Otis looked at Oren. "I... seriously doubt it..."

Oren returned the look. "So my dreams aren't good enough for you?"

"No, no..." Otis shook his head. "That's not the problem. I just really don't think the dreams I've been having belong to Agent Oren."

"So who do they belong to?" Olympia leaned close. "Maybe if you'd tell us about them..."

" _No._ "

"I won't tell anyone!" She crossed her heart and held up her hand like she was making a pledge. "Look, have I ever embarrassed you before?"

He looked at her steadily.

"I mean on purpose?" She looked around and whispered. "It's... not duck-related, is it?"

" _No._ "

Oren was staring at the ceiling, bored. Olympia thought.

"Maybe if you can remember the details of the dreams, you can figure out on your own who they belong to."

Otis grimaced.

"It's our only hope."

"All right," Otis sighed. "I'll do my best."

Shutting his eyes, Otis forced himself to remember the dreams he'd been trying to forget for days. He remembered the giant, twirling lollipops... The yodeling kittycats in party dresses... The fountains of pink lemonade... The koala bears doing somersaults... The mounds of strawberry cake and heart-shaped cookies... The mountain of whipped cream with little vanilla wafers on skis going up and down... The samba-dancing bunnies... The knee-socks and Mary Jane shoes... The... _The singing, dancing plastic dinosaurs..._

"Oh no..."

In the distance, he could see Agent Orchid skipping to her desk. She sat down, pulled out an emergency medical form and a crayon, and began drawing little circles all over it.

"It would have to be her."

Olympia smiled anxiously. "You've figured it out?"

He nodded. "Might as well go and get this over with." He took a couple steps, then looked over his shoulder at her. "If I don't come back, you've been a great partner."

Olympia beamed as she watched him walk into the main area. "He said I was a great partner!"

Oren rolled his eyes. "Yippee."

Bracing himself, Otis walked over to Orchid's desk. She looked up at him. "WHAT?"

"Uh, yeah. Excuse me. This will just take a moment..."

Quickly as he could, he leaned over and touched his forehead to hers. He was relieved to hear a 'DING!'.

"Thanks."

Orchid smiled sweetly up at him. "Don't mention it." Then she head-butted his forehead as hard as she could. "And DON'T DO IT AGAIN!"

Rubbing his forehead, Otis returned to the others. "Well, that's taken care of. We'd better get back to the park."

"Wait a minute!" Oren stopped them. "What about my dreams?"

Olympia projected the list again, with the new additions.

 **Otis-Orchid**

 **Olympia-Otis**

 **Owen-Oona**

 **Ocean-O'Malley**

 **O'Malley-Owen**

 **Oona-Ocean**

 **Oren-Olympia**

 **Oren**

 **Orchid**

She looked it over. "Most likely, Orchid's having your dreams."

"So I have to..." Oren made a gesture indicating the forehead-touch.

"Let us know how it turns out," The two partners turned and raced toward the tube room. "We've gotta go!"

Oren stood in the hall, quietly whimpering.

#


	4. Chapter 4

Back at the park, Jamie Jam was swaying back and forth, throwing fake gang signs, and making beatbox noises into a handheld mic.

"Yo, yo. this be Jamie Jam, the jam-spraying villain, I got y'all a riddle so y'need t'stop chillin', I gotta clue for y'all in this here knock-knock joke, if you don't figger it out, y'all is gettin' soaked! NOW WHEN I SAY 'KNOCK-KNOCK, you say 'WHO'S THERE!' KNOCK-KNOCK!"

She pointed the mic at Ohlm. Ohlm just sat staring at her, jaw dropped. "Uhhhh..."

"WHAT DOES IT TAKE?" Jamie Jam exploded, throwing the mic to one side. "WHAT DOES IT TAKE? ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SAY, 'WHO'S THERE'! THAT'S ALL! IT'S JUST A STUPID KNOCK-KNOCK JOKE! A KNOCK-KNOCK JOKE! I SAY KNOCK-KNOCK, YOU SAY 'WHO'S THERE'? THAT'S ALL IT IS! A KNOCK-KNOCK JOKE! WHY DON'T YOU JUST SAY 'WHO'S THERE?'"

There was a flash of light as Otis and Olympia emerged from behind a tree.

"Okay, Jamie Jam! We'll play your little game!" Olympia stood there, arms folded. "Who's there?"

Jamie Jam looked over at her. "Wh-What?"

Otis leaned forward. "Who's there?"

Tears filled Jamie Jam's eyes. "Thank you! Thank you BOTH! Thank you both so much!'

She ran over and hugged the startled agents.

"That's all I wanted! That's all I needed! That's all! I just needed someone to say, 'Who's there!' And you said 'Who's there!' At last, someone said, 'Who's there! At last!'" She wept with gratitude. "Thank you both so much!"

Otis and Olympia looked at each other, shrugged, then turned back to Jamie.

"Um, you're welcome. But... Who's there?"

Jamie blinked. "What?"

"You know... Knock, knock, who's there?"

"Oh. Of course. I..." Jamie Jam thought, frowning, her mouth moving silently. A minute went by, then two. Finally, she whispered, "I forgot." Then she howled. "I FORGOT!" She stormed about, raging. "I WAS SO BUSY TRYING TO GET THAT LITTLE... THAT LITTLE..."

Otis nodded. "His name's Ohlm."

"THAT LITTLE OHLM TO SAY 'WHO'S THERE,' I FORGOT THE REST OF IT!" She dissolved into sobs. "The joke, the plan, all of it! I can't... I just..." She shook her head helplessly.

"Um.. Sorry... I guess..." Olympia shifted her weight to her other foot. So, do you want to go home and check your notes or...?"

"No! Never mind! You know what? Just forget it! Forget it! Just forget the whole thing!" Gathering her cape around her, Jamie Jam stalked off. "You people take all the fun out of wanton depravity, you know that? I'm going home to soak in a nice warm tub and watch CELEBRITY NAME GAME." Mumbling to herself, the villainess headed toward the nearest bus stop.

Ohlm tossed his apple core into the trash and slid off the bench. "Piece a' cake." He strutted past the two agents. "Call me if you need me again. Bye." He disappeared behind the tree.

Otis and Olympia looked at one another. "What just happened here?"

Just then, Otis' badge-phone rang. "Hello?"

"It's not Orchid," Oren's testy voice hissed.

"What?"

"Orchid doesn't have my dreams."

Olympia gaped at the phone. "Are you sure?"

"I've got the forehead welt to prove it. It's someone else."

Otis and Olympia looked at each other.

"But... But... But we checked EVERYBODY in headquarters!" Olympia exclaimed. "There's no one else LEFT! Who else could it be?"

#

Back at headquarters, Orchid had finished her paperwork and had gone to the pillow room for a nap-break. Snuggling under the blankets, she dreamed she was riding a giant radioactive komodo dragon through a post-apocalyptic wasteland. She held a sword in one hand, a machine gun in the other, and her Stetson hat kept the sun from her eyes as she rode along looking for zombies to slay.

Orchid smiled in her sleep. She _liked_ this dream. She'd like it more without the dumb pacifier, but still...

#

"I can't understand what's wrong with Agent Orson!" Ozric rocked the crying little agent and walked with him back and forth. "He's gotten so cranky anymore after his afternoon nap..."

#


End file.
